Some years after the martyrdom of Hadhrat Fatemah az-Zahra (SA) Imam ‘Ali expressed his desire to his brother ‘Aqil ibn Abu Taleb to marry a woman of a brave tribe. Hadhrat ‘Aqil was a very knowledgeable in tribe genealogy and he immediately proposed the name of Hadhrat Fatemah bint Hazem ibn Khalid and the marriage took place soon after.

Much earlier during 8 AH, Imam ‘Ali (SA) had been given the prophecy by Prophet Muhammad (S) of a brave son who would be martyred alongside with his brother Imam Husayn on the day of ‘Ashoura. Ever since then, Imam ‘Ali had been waiting for the birth of that son which came in the person of Hadhrat ‘Abbas

The woman, who bore and brought up that Hero ( Hadhrat ‘Abbas ), the standard-bearer to Imam Husayn , was Umm al-Banin . She was the daughter of Hazem ibn Khali and wife of Imam ‘Ali . She was from the courageous family of Bani Kalab. Her maiden name was Fatemah, but when she bore Imam ‘Ali four sons -- she was called Umm al-Banin (i.e., mother of sons only).

Umm al-Banin (SA) had such sincerity toward the Holy Prophet’s progeny that she loved Imam Husayn more than her own children. A feeling which was from the bottom of her heart - It was to the extent that when she received the news stating the martyrdom of her four children, she said: “Tell me about Husayn ” and when she received the news of Imam Husayn ’s martyrdom she said: “All of the arteries of my heart are torn. May all of my children and whatever that exist under this azure heaven be sacrificed for the sake of Imam Husayn .

Umm al-Banin (SA) gathered women of Madinah in her house and all cried for the martyrdom of Imam Husayn .This was the first ever Majles conducted after the martyrdom of Imam Husayn .

After the arrival of Imam Sajjad and Hadhrat Zaynab (SA) in Madinah Hadhrat Umm al-Banin used to continuously gather women in her house and narrate them how Imam Husayn and his companions were martyred by Yazidi forces.

Hadhrat Umm al-Banin (SA) was a great poetess and she is considered as the first Noha (lamentation poetry) reciter for the martyrdom of Imam Husayn . She used to visit regularly the famous Jannat al-Baqi’ cemetery in Madinah and recite her nohahs in a very sad and pathetic voice that everybody present there used to weep bitterly.

She transformed the Jannat al-Baqi’cemetery in Madinah as “the Centre of ‘Azadari of Imam Husayn . The Nohahs recited by Hadhrat Umm al-Banin for the martyrdom of Imam Husayn are recorded in history and are considered as masterpieces in Arabic literature.

The prophecyIn the battle of Muta, Ja'far Tayyar carried the Banner of Islam and in that battle he was out-numbered by the enemies and killed. When the news reached the Holy Prophet he cried and prayed for Ja'far's soul and the angel Gabriel came down and consoled (the Prophet), saying "Ja'far was a brave and loyal soldier. God has given him everlasting life, and in place of two arms which were cut off in the battle, the Lord has given him a pair of wings". Hazrat Ali who was sitting near the Holy Prophet at that time, said, "Please pray to God that I should die fighting for the cause of Islam and become a martyr."

But the Holy Prophet said, "0 Ali your death has already been decreed. You shall die in the mosque during your prayers, but the Almighty will give you a son who will die in the battle on Ashura day". From that time Imam Ali eagerly awaited the birth of that son. (This prophecy was made in the year 8 A.H. when Imam Hasan as 5 years old and Imam Husain was 4.)

Imam Ali weds Hadrat Ummul BaneenThe world around the Holy Prophet witnessed and history has vouched the fact that the gap in the domestic life and the happiness of the Holy Prophet created by the demise of Hadrat Khadija doubtlessly proved as irreparable for no other woman fittingly filled it up to give the Apostle of God the happiness at home or the harmony in his domestic life, and it is only about the good Hadrat Umme Salamah that the Holy Prophet said: Ante ala! Khair,' i.e., Thou art on goodness, which the good Lady proved true by not leaving the house of the Holy Prophet even after his departure from this world, and remaining as attached to his Ahlul Bayt as she was during his lifetime.

The same was the case with Hadrat Ali the First Imam, the Vicegerent of God on earth, succeeding the Holy Prophet . After the martyrdom of the Holy Hadrat Fatima Zahra there was none in the world totake her holy place in the house of Imam Ali and the good Lady Ummul-Baneen served Hadrat Ali after Holy Hadrat Fatima Zahra as did Umme Salamah to the Holy Prophet after the demise of Hadrat Khadija .

, Since this topic is dedicated to Umm-ul-Banin , I would like to add that Imam Ali had 4 sons from Umm-ul-Banin. Their names were, Abbas ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib , Uthman ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, Abdullah(some say his names was Umar) ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib and Jafar ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib.All of them were martyred in the tragedic battle of Karbala.Since Umm ul Banin meanst 'The Mother of the Sons' , after the martyrdom of all her sons in Karbala, she requested the people never to call her Umm ul Baneen again.....